Just a Day in Constantinople
by HoneyTwilight
Summary: This one's for you, mon cher Gilbert! Sorry you couldn't come, but I hope you enjoy the trip via my journal!  A History/Writing project for school, filled with historical facts about the former Istanbul. Inspired by the song Istanbul  Not Constantinople


**Axis Powers: Hetalia is not mine, and never will be.**

I'm starting this journal so I can tell my friends back home all about Constantinople as I remember it! Gilbert was really bummed he didn't get to come with us… So hopefully, by reading this, he'll feel as if he was here with us! I felt kind of bad that he wasn't allowed to come. Well, neither was Ludwig, Roderich, Elijah, or Vash, so at least he'll have company, non? I've been looking forward to this trip for a long while, so this should be fun! I can't wait to get to the city, and off this book… Ugh, I'm going to be sick…

**July 14, 536**

At first, I wasn't sure where I was. My eyes slowly slid open to a rather spacious room, pre-dawn light filtering to the space through a few windows. The room was rather plain, the bed was uncomfortable, and there were no expensive decorations littered around the space, so I knew that it couldn't have possibly been my bedroom back at our castle in Italy… The memories of the night before came rushing back. That's right, we were in Constantinople per Grandfather's request, and we'd arrived late last night. We were all so tired we could do naught but change and fall asleep the moment our heads hit the mattress.

Something shifted at my side, a certain something I found to be my youngest brother. He looked so calm, peaceful, and happy, quite adverse to the usual scowl he wore. Chuckling to myself, I pushed a few locks of golden hair out of his pale face and pressed a chaste kiss to his forehead before getting up. Knowing Arthur, he'd most likely be mortified that he'd gotten close to the fabulous moi during the night, so I wouldn't wake him quite yet. I got dressed in my usual outfit of blue silk, and tied my hair back with a red ribbon with the assistance of a small, handheld mirror.

Smiling, I went to wake up Feliciano, another one of my four brothers. Since the spot next to the boy was unoccupied, I figured that Grandfather—a rich, powerful Italian noble—had already gone to plan our day. As soon as I woke the little Italian, he jolted and began to bounce up and down.

"Feli, mon cher, why don't you wake everyone up? We cannot waste daylight, after all…"

"Ah, si! I'll go wake everyone up! I'll be right back, fratellone!" His big brown eyes were sparkling in excitement as he systematically went around and attempted to wake all of our big "family" up.

I smiled at my other adopted siblings, who were opening to their eyes to a shouting brunet bouncing around the room. I was the second oldest out of us all; first was my best friend and senior by five months, one 'Antonio Fernandez Carriedo de España'; after myself was the fiery Lovino Vargas, who was blood related to our grandfather, and three years our junior; then came his blood little brother, Feliciano, being six years younger; lastly was Arthur Kirkland, an irritable blond Briton who was younger by eight years. Most of our parents had been killed in some war or another, excepting Arthur who never knew his parents and had been raised by his abusive older siblings.

"FRATELLINO! GET BACK HERE, I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!" Ah, Lovino was up. Any and all screeched Italian came from the elder Italian, and bubbly, happy shouting came from the younger. After a while, the eleven-year-old's yelling and cursing just goes right over your head. It was just a fact of life we all came to accept, I suppose…!

"V-ve! F-Fratellone, please don't hurt me!"

"Ah~ Lovi, aren't you happy? We're in Constantinople! Can you believe it?" And there was Antonio, ever doting when it came to the little Lovino. His happy, cheery, Spanish-accented voice easily carried, so it echoed in the room. Antonio, ever the optimist, hugged the boy and twirled him around.

"Lemme go, tomato freak!" the young boy struggled, but he was no match for Antonio's death grip. Blushing like mad, he pouted until he was released.

"Oi, would you lot pipe down? It's irritating to hear your voices this early in the morning."

"But mon cheri, if we did, who would make you discretely smile..?"

Arthur's response was a load of splutters coming from a cherry-red—or, in Antonio's words, tomato-red—face. Ah, how I love to make him flustered.

Grandfather opened to the door, smiling as normal. Antonio took after him in so many ways… "Okay, you guys! Let us get going, there's a lot of city to see!"

"Oui! Where are we going first?"

"Well, we have to be at Justinian's around sunset, so we have the day to do whatever we want! I say we explore the Mese, I just came from there! You kids will love it!"

Antonio grinned. "Well then, vamos!"

We exited out onto the street, and quickly navigated our way through the city. Grandfather had talked to us before we got here; I was to keep an eye on Arthur, Antonio would look after Lovino, and Grandfather would make sure Feli didn't get into any trouble.

The second we walked out into the crowded market, gasps of wonder and delight spilled from our lips. It truly was an awesome sight.

The large street was lined with all types of stalls, each a flair of color against the road. The sounds of people bartering and socializing left a pleasant buzz in the air, making the pace a fast, but exciting one. The smell of many different foods filled the space, making Feli lick his lips. Knowing him, he'd be able to hunt down some pasta in some shape or form! So many different exotic and interesting things were around us as we took it all in. Grandfather told us he and Feli would be hunting down some treats, then go look for something to bring home to the friends they left behind. Antonio and Lovino took off to check out some of the merchants, leaving Arthur and myself to our lonesome.

"So, petit lapin, where do we go first?"

"I don't know," Arthur was scowling, but not even that couldn't cover up the excitement and wonder in his eyes. "Why don't you choose? It's not like you'd listen to anything I say, anyways…"

I chuckled, knowing that it was full well and true. "You know me all too well, cadet frère!"

"Hn, whatever. Where are we going first?"

"Let's check out those street performers, they look trés intéressant!"

"…'Kay," was the murmured response.

They made their way down the road, Arthur's hand securely gripped in my hand. I had to make sure he didn't get lost or have anything happen to him! Acrobats and other street performers executed their respective acts with skill as we made our way down the street, occasionally stopping to watch especially entertaining acts in awe, grinning from ear to ear. So many interesting acts filled the Mese, mon ami! You'd never believe how amazing they were! I'm certain you would have loved it!

After a while, Arthur told me he was hungry. As such, I took him to find some kind of meal. I let him choose, and he was immediately drawn to the stall of a young Asian merchant.

"Ah, hello there –aru! My name is Wang Yao, how may I help you –aru?" His Greek was heavily accented with a Chinese flair. I returned his friendly smile, and put my hand on Arthur's shoulder.

"Bonjour, je m'appelle Francis," we exchanged a handshake, "we'd like to purchase some of those delicacies of yours, if you don't mind!"

"Of course I wouldn't mind –aru! What'd you like?"

I asked him about the different foods, cheerily conversing about different topics. It wasn't until I turned to ask Arthur what he wanted did I notice he had disappeared. Panicked, I searched the crowd around me for a mop of blonde hair and flashing emerald eyes, to no avail. Thankfully, Yao located the boy; he had been talking with an Asian boy who looked to be a bit younger than he, and a boy who looked like a resident. Arthur later told me the Asian's name was Kiku, and he was Yao's younger brother. The other boy was Kiku's best friend, Herecles. They had become friends in a short amount of time.

Arthur happily ate his food, and walked alongside me as we shopped several different merchant stalls. We ended up getting several different trinkets, and our purses were considerably lighter. We met up with the others at the inn, and then headed out to see the Hippodrome. We passed through the wall of Constantine, a large, old stone wall that guarded the inner city. Of course, it was nothing compared to the massive wall that's namesake was Emperor Theodosius. The buildings looked newer, with Roman-Greco influence apparent in their architecture. That was true for the whole city, I suppose.

We reached the Hippodrome, and our jaws immediately dropped. It was ENORMOUS! It had to be able to hold at _least _sixty thousand people. We saw a chariot race, and happily cheered on the teams we had taken a liking to. The stadium was amazing, that I can promise you. Defiantly worth the trip, Gilbert!

Next, we went to the Hagia Sophia. There were so many beautiful mosaics in the new church, and it was huge! Justinian's crowned chapel jewel, indeed… The art work was exquisite, and Feli immediately requested to stay and draw the scene.

Following that, we had to head to Justinian's palace. While Grandfather was doing business, we were lucky enough to score a tour given to us by a stoic man named Gupta. It was vast and complex, with skillful carvings and fanciful art, with gilded _everything_. It was truly a sight to behold… There was also a menagerie, with exotic, foreign animals of all sorts. Arthur seemed to like the lion, but I was rather attracted to the parrots. Antonio doted over the turtle with an apparently reluctant Lovino, and Feliciano became enamored with the leopard. Then, we went to the throne room. Gilbert, you'll never believe it. The throne could actually _rise_! Was that an ingenious architectural feat or what? Man, was it impressive…

By the time we met up with Grandfather and left, the almost-full moon was visible in the sky. Weary, happy, and bursting with excitement, we spent the next few hours exploring the Mese further. It was so much fun, I'm so glad we came! It was completely worth the long trip.

That night, as I laid down to sleep, I thought about my day. It'd been an amazing experience, so to say. From the bustle-hustle of the Mese and its hopping pace, to the Grand Palace's impressive halls, to the massive Hippodrome and its deadly entertainment, to the gorgeous, stunning Hagia Sophia, Constantinople has been an awesome, worthwhile experience I won't forget anytime soon! I do hope I get to come back!

Non- French- no

Moi- French- me

Fratellone- Italian- Big Brother (informal)

Fratellino- Italian- Little Brother (informal)

Mon cheri- French- my darling

Oui- French- yes

Vamos- Spanish- Let's go

Petit lapin- French- little rabbit

Cadet frère- French- younger brother (informal with emphasis on the 'younger')

Trés intéressant- French- very interesting

Bonjour, je m'appelle Francis- French- Hello, my name is Francis


End file.
